Article in the magazine “Who’s Who in the Translations Market”, November 2005

MARK Business Translations

Our editor talks with the company’s General Director, Yuri Melnikov.

What is your company’s main area of specialisation?

Our main area of specialisation has traditionally been legal translation. We have been working with major international law firms for many years now (Chadbourne & Parke, Salans, Clifford Chance, Freshfields and others).
We also operate actively in the fields of banking, project financing, accounting, auditing, marketing, insurance, medicine, linguistics, and other business sectors. Our core activity is translation and linguistic support for large projects and transactions, on both the Russian market and foreign markets.

In your our opinion, what attributes should a modern skilled translator possess?

Knowing two languages well is not enough to make you a good translator. A skilled translator should be creative and erudite, and should have an excellent command not just of the foreign language but also, crucially, of Russian. Every translator should specialise in a field of knowledge in which he can guarantee high-quality translations. There are no all-rounders. If a translator approaches me and says that he can translate “everything”, I immediately lose interest in him.
All the translators who work with us are tested – both at the selection stage and in the process of practical work on a project. Our editors are constantly striving to improve our translators’ skills. Over the years we have been operating in the market, we have managed to build up a highly skilled team that can ensure high quality in all areas of our specialisation, and for the most diverse projects.

How do you see the future of the translations market in Russia?

I am convinced that we are “doomed” to develop. Whilst it used to be the case that many Western companies preferred getting their translations done abroad, today they are already beginning to realise that there are many translation companies in Russia where the quality of translations is no worse, and often better, than abroad. Whilst it used to be the case that many Russian companies undervalued the importance of quality translation services and did not like spending money on them, today this stereotype has started to disappear, and major domestic companies have started using our services – Severstal, for example. It is in this direction, I am certain, that the market will develop.